At Brookhaven Polar Plunge, mom remembers her daughter

With temperatures teetering between the 30s and 40s, more than 1,000 participants gathered at Cedar Beach on Long Island Sound in Mount Sinai on Saturday for the 5th Annual Town of Brookhaven Polar Plunge benefiting Special Olympics New York.

One of the plungers was Sound Beach’s Dede Zenz, whose daughter started as a Special Olympian swimmer at age 3 and passed away five years ago at age 21.

“I do this every year in honor of her,” Zenz explained.

According to Kristina Aquilone, director of development for Special Olympics New York, the plunge raised more than $150,000 on Saturday. The funds raised will provide opportunities for 375 athletes to participate in the Special Olympics for a season.

“Twenty years ago this was unheard of, and now everybody’s getting into it, and I think it’s fantastic,” said Zenz.

It’s grown so much that people see a scheduling challenge as an opportunity. For first-time plunger Maria Kontonicolas of Bellerose, the day’s events started with two friends at 9 a.m., running four miles as part of the Blazing Trails Autism Run in East Meadow.

“All three of us ran the four miles, got in the car, and ran over here, and we jumped into the water,” explained a cold but smiling Kontonicolas, 44.

She hopes her 13-year-old son, Michael, who is diagnosed on the autism spectrum, will participate in the Special Olympics next year.

The trio sought to raise more than $200, and was excited to reach $1,000 in donations.

“I know how special-needs families are on a tight budget and I know how hard it is,” explained Kontonicolas. “And I’m hoping that kids who most likely wouldn’t be able to do this ... will now be able to participate.”